Ryusei Ramen and Izakaya — Restaurant in Rockford Township

This was unfortunately one of the worst food experiences I've had in a long time. I checked the reviews for Ryusei before my wife and I went for lunch. Most all the review and photos looked great, I was pretty excited to give it a try. We showed up around 12pm, they're open sign was off and the place looked closed still. We came back around 1 and decided to see if the door was open at this point or if anyone was there. The door was open and when we walked inside there was no one to greet us/take the order, we had to get the attention of the workers in the back. That's fine, no real issue here. We finally order our food, beef bulgogi bowl, pork katsu curry, and 2 piece crispy chicken tenders. The bulgogi bowl came out with the chicken strips, these items were fine. Bulgogi was good, the chicken strips did not look like the picture on the menu. (sorry, I normally do not take photos of food before I eat.) After about 10 minutes more I got my katsu curry. Here's where I should have taken a picture, the pork was WAY over cooked, and to the point that somehow one side of a few slices were obviously burnt from the oil? I guess I expected the pork to be 1 large piece, fried, then sliced and served, but there is no way to burn one side of a sliced piece of breaded pork without it being pre-sliced before frying it. This was inedible, and has given me considerable stomach issues the last day. (I have not been able to eat much after this meal) I am not a person who complains about their meal, but this was bad, deep fried food should not be dry if cooked correctly. I took the pieces to the worker who cooked our food, and asked if this was normal, they didn't seem to have a great answer, offered to replace the food. Normally, this would be fine, but I was not too confident that if the food was replaced it would be much better. Meaning, edible. Not sure how my food was so bad considering my wife and I were the only customers when we got there, there was another couple that showed up after us, and they got their food before I got my katsu curry. I cannot see myself ever returning to this restaurant. Very...

Place is new and it was not busy. Could use more decor to make it more inviting. I see some changes have been made, so kudos for the owner to listen to reviewers feedbacks. There are condiments on the tables, and the place was clean. Staff is also very friendly, and service was excellent. Their touchscreen ordering system was also easy to navigate and simple to use.

Ramen could use an overhaul. It lacked flavor, and the broth tasted nothing more than oily water. Pork was bland with a lot of fat. You don't get a lot of substance and taste for what you pay for. Not a whole lot to compare to in the area in terms of Ramen, but the food will need to step up the game to stay competitive.

I have been to a lot of Ramen places all over the US. The busy locations have earth tones and more color to give it warmth and a comfy feel. The broth is the key to success. If the broth is spot on, the rest of the ingredients can be easily overlooked. I see this with Pho places that are still going strong, because their broth is top notch, even when the place is run down. I know that Pho and Ramen are two different ball games, but I wanted to emphasize on the importance of the broth when it comes to noodle soup type dishes. I would also like to see a punch card system to encourage...

I ordered the pork ramen. For $13.99 a bowl, I was expecting more than just a clump of jarred garlic, a few spring onions, and a lifeless piece of boiled pork.

The broth was completely flavorless. The pork was bland and pale. It seems like they just boiled it in water, because it was very fatty and unseasoned. The first bowl they gave me, half of the noodles were still uncooked and clumped together . They did remake it, however, the noodles still didn’t taste right, they tasted doughy & flour-like, and had a funny texture.

There were no toppings on it like marinated eggs, mushrooms, fresh veggies, seaweed, nothing. There was no option to add any spice. There were no condiments on the tables like chili oil, sriracha, not even soy sauce. The tables were dirty, and no one was cleaning them as people got up and left. The walls are all white & boring. No artwork was hung on the walls to create a fun, inviting atmosphere. And it was very cold inside. I frequent ramen places in Chicago and this is not just not it. I was expecting great things since Rockford is lacking in casual ramen restaurants. I think the opening was rushed. The owner needs to go visit some places in Chicago & get some ideas on how to decorate and also how ramen should taste and be presented. Very...